Repsol Honda Team positive as trio of races commence

The Repsol Honda Team travel to the north of Europe this week in preparation for the seventh round of the MotoGP World Championship.

The Netherlands is the destination for the legendary Dutch TT in Assen, where both Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa will be challenging for victory as the Championship enters a very busy period with three races in a row.

As in the UK, the weather can be very changeable in Assen, but both Honda factory riders will be determined and confident following the double podium they shared at Silverstone on their first race with the new Bridgestone front tyre.

With modifications made in 2006, the Assen circuit has been shortened slightly but it maintains fast changes in direction over the old part of the track where an agile bike is needed and the banked turns make it a spectacle for the fans.

Casey Stoner, who won the Dutch TT in 2008, has celebrated six podiums in Assen and since 2007 has not failed to reach it. Dani Pedrosa, injured last year, also has six podium finishes, with three in the premier class.

CASEY STONER –World Championship Position: 2nd with 115 points

Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda Team and Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team

Photo by: Red Bull GmbH and GEPA pictures GmbH

"We've had some great results in Assen, but also some pretty bad ones, so hopefully we can go there this weekend, be competitive and avoid any injury like last year when I hurt my neck, which followed us for the season and still causes me problems now. You spend a lot of the time on the edge of the tyre in Assen and unfortunately on our bike at the moment this is a weak point, so we will need to work on Thursday and Friday to improve before we can consider ourselves competitive there. I really hope the weather is good for us, as we need as much track time as possible to work on various issues on the bike. With three races back to back, it's important to get some good results at Assen, Sachsenring and Mugello, so we need to remain focused".

DANI PEDROSA –World Championship Position: 3rd with 101 points

"I wasn't there last year due to the injury, but it's a circuit we know well. Assen has changeable weather so I hope we can have some dry sessions to continue setting up the bike and making it more rideable. We need some more experience with the new front tyre and hopefully we can make another step forward this week. In Assen is important to have a good feeling with the tyres because there are several fast corners. I am really looking forward to this race and aiming to ride at my best".